2020 Orientation Course: Table of Weapons and Technologies
The order followed by this table corresponds to that of modules 2 to 5 of the 2020 Orientation Course and is not intended to be exhaustive of all weapons and technologies.
This table should be read in conjunction with the separate Reading List. Acronyms used in this table are listed at the end.
Module 2: Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Weapon or potential weaponization |
Existing or potential treaty regime(s) |
Administering body & other relevant forums & agencies |
Main Meetings of States Parties (MSPs), and Reviews |
Treaty reference sites & other key references |
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Nuclear |
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 1968 |
The NPT has no formal secretariat. It relies on ODA, New York for support |
Reviewed 5-yearly in New York. Meets in Vienna, Geneva and New York in each of the 3 years prior to the Review Conference.
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http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/npt See also: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/repository/ |
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Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), 1963
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http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/test_ban |
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Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), 1996 (not in force)
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CTBTO, Vienna (monitors nuclear tests) |
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http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/ctbt See also: |
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Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), 2017 (not in force)
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http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/tpnw |
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Nuclear weapon free (regional) zones
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https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/nwfz/ |
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Safeguards: Comprehensive (NPT art III) & Additional Protocol
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IAEA, Vienna |
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https://www.iaea.org/topics/safeguards-legal-framework |
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Biological |
Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC or BTWC), 1972 |
BWC ISU, Geneva |
Reviewed 5-yearly in Geneva |
http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/bwc See also: http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/1925
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Chemical |
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), 1992
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OPCW, The Hague |
Reviewed 5-yearly in The Hague
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http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/cwc See also: https://www.opcw.org/
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WMD |
Security Council Resolution 1540 |
UN Secretariat, New York |
https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/sc1540/ See also: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/secretary-general-mechanism/
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Export Controls |
https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/export-controls/
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Terrorism |
Module 3: Conventional Weapons
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Weapon or potential weaponization |
Existing or potential treaty regime(s) |
Administering body … |
Main MSPs and Reviews |
Treaty reference sites & other key references |
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Inhumane Weapons (other than WMD) |
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), 1980 |
CCW ISU, Geneva |
Annual conferences |
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2&chapter=26&lang=en See also:https://www.icrc.org/en/document/1980-convention-certain-conventional-weapons |
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Protocols on Non-detectable Fragments (P I), Mines, Booby-traps etc (AP II), Incendiary (P III) Blinding Lasers (P IV), Explosive Remnants of War (P V) |
CCW Protocols I to V (1980, 1995, 1996 and 2003) including Amended Protocol II (APII) (1996) |
CCW ISU, Geneva |
Annual conferences for AP II & P V only |
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2-b&chapter=26&clang=_en https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2-a&chapter=26 https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2-d&chapter=26&clang=_en |
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Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) |
See CCW AP II |
See also dedicated General Assembly process |
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https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/ieds/ |
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Explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) (includes IEDs) |
Mode of addressing the EWIPA issue, e.g. via a Political Declaration, is under discussion |
Discussions in CCW and General Assembly |
N/A |
https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/explosive-weapons/ |
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Anti-personnel landmines |
Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, 1997 |
ISU, Geneva |
5-yearly Review Conferences; annual MSPs |
https://www.apminebanconvention.org/overview-and-convention-text/ |
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Cluster munitions |
Cluster Munitions Convention (CCM), 2008 |
ISU, Geneva |
5-yearly Review Conferences; annual MSPs |
https://www.clusterconvention.org/the-convention/convention-text/ |
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An aspect affecting all weapons issues and armed conflict in general = International Humanitarian Law (IHL) |
Geneva Conventions 1949 & Additional Protocols I & II, 1977 |
ICRC, Geneva |
4-yearly Review |
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/vwTreaties1949.xsp |
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Arms Trade |
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Small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships |
Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) |
Secretariat, Geneva |
Conferences of the States Parties meet as required |
https://thearmstradetreaty.org/ See also: https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/arms-trade-treaty-2/ |
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UN Register of Conventional Arms |
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https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/register/ |
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Small arms and light weapons |
Programme of Action on small arms & light weapons(PoA), 2001 |
ODA, New York |
Biennial reviews & 5-yearly Review Conferences |
https://undocs.org/en/A/CONF.192/15(SUPP) |
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International Tracing Instrument (ITI) |
ODA, New York |
Biennial reviews & 5-yearly Review Conferences |
https://unoda-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ITI_English.pdf |
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Firearms, their parts, components and ammunition |
Firearms Protocol, 2005 |
UNODC, Vienna |
Biennial Conferences of States Parties |
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-12-c&chapter=18&clang=_en See also: |
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Ammunition |
Accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus |
ODA, New York |
GGE 2020 |
https://undocs.org/GGE/PACAS/2020/5 |
Module 4: Space and Missiles
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Weapon or potential weaponization |
Existing or potential treaty regime(s) |
Administering body … |
Main MSPs and Reviews |
Treaty reference sites & other key references |
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Space weapons and Earth-based weapons capable of targeting space assets |
Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967 (forbids placement of WMD in outer space) |
Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna |
COPUOS meets annually |
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280128cbd See also: https://www.un.org/disarmament/topics/outerspace/ |
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Missile-related goods and technologies |
Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), 1987 |
No Secretariat. France is the ‘Point of Contact’. |
Members meet annually |
https://mtcr.info/guidelines-for-sensitive-missile-relevant-transfers/ Annex: https://mtcr.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MTCR-TEM-Technical_Annex_2019-10-11-1.pdf |
Module 5: ICT, AI and Cyber
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This module deals not with traditional weapons as such but with developments in the field of information and telecommunications (ICT) in the context of international security, including the potential for military and other uses of artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber technology for malicious purposes. |
https://www.un.org/disarmament/ict-security/ |
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Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs) (i.e., robots and drones) |
https://www.unog.ch/80256EE600585943/(httpPages)/8FA3C2562A60FF81C1257CE600393DF6?OpenDocument |
AI artificial intelligence
AP Amended Protocol
ATT Arms Trade Treaty
BWC Biological (and Toxins) Weapons Convention (also BTWC)
CCM Cluster Munitions Convention
CCW Convention on Conventional Weapons
CWC Convention on Chemical Weapons
CD Conference on Disarmament
COPUOS Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
CTBT Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
CTBTO Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation
GGE Group of Government Experts
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
ICT Information and communications technologies
IEDs improvised explosive devices
IHL International Humanitarian Law
ISU Implementation Support Unit (i.e., secretariat)
ITI International Tracing Instrument
LAWS Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
ML MACHINE LEARNING
MSPs Meetings of States Parties
MTCR Missile Technology Control Regime
NPT Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
NWFZs (regional) nuclear-weapon-free zones
ODA United Nations Office for Disarmament
OEWG Open-ended Working Group
OOSA Office for Outer Space Affairs
OPCW Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
OST Outer Space Treaty
PoA Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons
PTBT Partial Test Ban Treaty
TPNW Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons
UAVs Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones)
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNOG United Nations Office Geneva
VCDNP Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
WMD weapons of mass destruction